Description

Start the season off right! An early producer of beautiful peaches. This variety bears crops before almost any other. The fruit is firm and attractive with sweet yellow flesh that makes it a favorite at any table. Developed in Beltsville, Maryland, released in 1980. Resistant to bacterial spot. Semi-freestone. Ripens in July. Self-pollinating.

Survival Guaranteed!

Since 1816, Stark Bro’s has promised to provide customers with the very best fruit trees and plants. It’s just that simple. If your trees or plants do not survive, please let us know within one year of delivery. We will send you a free one-time replacement, with a nominal shipping fee of $9.99. If the item in question is not available, we can issue a one-time credit to your account equaling the original product purchase price or issue you a refund. Read more about our warranty policy.

Characteristics

Bloom Color Pink
Bloom Time Early
Chill Hours 850 - 900
Fruit Color Red
Fruit Size Medium - Large
Hardiness Zone Range 5 - 8
Pollination Self-Pollinating
Ripens/Harvest July
Shade/Sun Full Sun
Soil Composition Loamy
Soil Moisture Well Drained - Average Moistness
Soil pH Level 6.0 - 7.0
Taste Sweet
Texture Firm
Years to Bear 2 - 4

Size & Spacing

Mature Size

When your tree matures, it will be approximately 12 - 15' tall x 12 - 15' wide.

Recommended Spacing

We recommend spacing these trees 12 - 15' apart to ensure room for growth.

Zone Compatibility

This Variety's Zone Range 5 - 8
My Hardiness Zone ?
The USDA hardiness zones offer a guide to varieties that will grow well in certain climates. Each zone corresponds to the minimum winter temperatures experienced in a given area. Make sure that your hardiness zone lies within the zone compatibility range of this variety before ordering.

Pollination

This variety is self pollinating.

In many cases, you may still want to plant pollinating partners to increase the size of your crops, but with self-pollinating varieties doing so is optional. Plant one of these varieties within 100' for best results.

Tools & Supplies

Having the proper tools and supplies when growing your own can make the difference between a good harvest and a great harvest! Here's a list that our experts recommend for this variety.

Planting & Care

Learn all about how to grow peach trees in The Growing Guide. An entire section of our website dedicated to your growing success.

Shipping Information

Arrives when it's time to plant

Your success is our priority. We work hard to make sure that your order arrives at the ideal time for planting in your location based on your local climate conditions.

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Questions & Answers

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6 Questions
Why did you choose this?

Want to try it in 4B.

Developed in Maryland just down the road from me, disease-resistant and good fruit size, early variety

This tree was developed locally

price and needed another peach to my private orchard

Chill hours?

This variety requires up to 850 chill hours.

Japanese beetles have killed one of my peach trees.  What can I do next summer to prevent this again?

To prevent Japanese beetles from harming your peach trees next summer, here are some strategies:

Handpicking: Early in the morning, when beetles are less active, you can manually remove them from your trees and drop them into a bucket of soapy water.

Neem Oil: Apply neem oil as it repels beetles and can interrupt their feeding cycle, reducing the damage they cause.

Insecticidal Soap or Sprays: Use insecticidal soap or pyrethrin-based insecticides, especially during the active period for beetles (typically late June to August).

Milky Spore or Beneficial Nematodes: These biological treatments target Japanese beetle grubs in the soil, reducing the population over time.

Row Covers: Use fine netting to cover the trees during beetle season to physically block them from accessing the tree.

Companion Planting: Consider planting repellent plants like garlic, catnip, or tansy near your peach trees to deter beetles.

Start applying these methods before the beetle season to minimize damage next summer.

Is this on Lovell rootstock?

We appreciate you reaching out to us. We use several different rootstocks, depending upon the desired result and what is available. For that reason, we're unable to guarantee a specific rootstock.

If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!

Will Peach leaf curl infect newly planted trees?

Yes, if you don't practice proper fungus control. You must spray all stone fruit trees at 2 week intervals until the fruit begins to ripen.

Does this type of peach keep it's flavor well when canned, cooked, or preserved? Is it freestone?

Thank you for your inquiry. This variety is best for fresh-eating and may not work well in any type of cooking.

Customer Reviews

16 Ratings
3.5out of 5 stars
16 Ratings

Rated 5 stars by 38% of reviewers

Rated 4 stars by 25% of reviewers

Rated 3 stars by 12% of reviewers

Rated 2 stars by 0% of reviewers

Rated 1 star by 25% of reviewers

1-10 of 16 Reviews
Rated 5 out of 5
Jul 15, 2025
Sweet surprise after 2 years in ground
This is the second year having this peach tree. I live in zone 8B. We got 10 peaches this year, that may not sound like a lot, but I wasn't expecting anything for a couple more years. I purchased this as the smaller tree option. Just picked the first one today and it was the most delicious peach I have ever had. Slightly firm, extremely juicy, and so sweet! I want to plant 5 more of these, but have to diversify my yard.
Rated 5 out of 5
Jul 1, 2024
Excellent Early Summer Peach
Purchased in spring 2020. We had our first real crop last year (2023), and while I could have been better about thinning this year (this is the hardest part!) it has been a fantastic early producer.
Rated 5 out of 5
May 25, 2024
Super early and great flavor
In OKC Zone 7B. Purchased 2 years ago. Beautiful tree. Harvested 14 nice peaches the last week of May after only two years in ground. Great flavor. Very juicy. Mostly nice size peaches. We thin heavily especially on young trees. For some reason bug damage is less on this tree than many of our other varieties. Bagged them for last two weeks of ripening. Negative would be peach was not consistent in ripening. Some parts of the peach were softer than others. Still a great early peach.
Rated 5 out of 5
Jun 18, 2023
Planted Last Fall and Already Have a Few Peaches in Summer
I purchased this peach tree Sentry in September, 2022. I have never purchased trees via a mail order, so was a bit worried about the condition of the tree. However, it came looking great due to a very careful packing done by Starks. I already had a large hole dug for the tree, so planted it the day it arrived. I has successfully survived the winter and has been thriving! I set up 4 poles and a net around the tree so that deer could not munch of the lower branches and it has worked great. I just went to water my fruit trees and this one already has 4 peaches growing on it - not too bad after having been planted just last fall. I am looking forward to enjoy this new variety of peaches in my garden - great buy!
Rated 5 out of 5
Jan 16, 2023
Sturdy healthy fruit trees
These are the healthiest, most sturdy fruit trees I have ever received. I should have listened to the local commercial orchard man and “only buy the Stark Brothers” 3 years ago.
Rated 5 out of 5
Aug 31, 2022
Peach tree
This tree has done really well so for. Hopefully it does well during the upcoming Colorado winter.
Rated 4 out of 5
Aug 10, 2023
A very early and productive variety with flavorful fruit but not at all a dwarf or semi dwarf form
We received this Peach tree listed as a dwarf supreme in 2016 but it is most assuredly a regular sized tree. It is about 18 feet high and about 16 feet in diameter. I will say that it has produced an abundance of near perfect peaches this year. At least 4 bushel baskets in the first week of July. By far the largest crop from this tree. It is very healthy and sturdy. Flavorful fruit is good fresh, frozen or processed into jam or pie filling.
Rated 4 out of 5
Aug 3, 2022
just started
Too early to tell, planted late in 2021, growing well in 2022
Rated 4 out of 5
Jul 3, 2021
Sentry Dwarf Supreme a good producer. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that it got a lot taller than I thought it would.
I planted a Sentry Dwarf Supreme 03/2014 it took 3 or 4 years to bear a few Peaches and then I had two years of a large crop that a late freeze in Southern Indiana destroyed the crop, but in June of 2021 it is loaded with nice tasty Peaches. I was unable to thin some of the top due to its height. This tree has been hardy and has grown very large for a Dwarf.
Rated 4 out of 5
Jul 3, 2021
Beautiful peach with above average flavor for an early producer.
For an early season peach, this is a winner. Oddly, it took five years to produce but now produces very large (up to a pound each), beautiful semi-freestone peaches annually.